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Flashing must extend all the way from the wall to the outside. Oh yeah, and it has to be watertight and eight people have to work on it...
Concrete & Masonry
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Feb 18 2019
Tree stumps are not a solid base for footings
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Nov 30 2018
Water and thermal barriers make a warm, dry base for the subfloor to float on
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Nov 26 2018
A solid flat surface for building begins with a LOT of aggregate and many passes with a compactor
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Nov 6 2018
Wait, what?
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Oct 27 2018
We budgeted nearly $50,000 for the foundation and yet ran almost 100% over budget—that hurts.
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Oct 22 2018
How to apply a non-slip broom texture to a concrete slab
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Sep 24 2018
The first finishing tool on the slab pushes down rocks and brings the cream to the top of the concrete surface
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Aug 25 2018
Front-yard factories dot the coast road in Ecuador and Columbia
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Aug 21 2018
An easy to make scoop that cleans the bucket as you empty it.
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Jul 30 2018
A smooth slab begins with a lump of mud and a straight 2x4
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Jul 23 2018
A fast and inexpensive way to patch stucco walls. Put this in your bag of tricks.
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Jul 2 2018
The old-fashioned mathematical formula way and the shortcut way.
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Jun 30 2018
26,000 pounds of granite cut with a 2-pound hammer in 1 hour, condensed into a 7-minute video
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Jun 9 2018
Which is better, a brick wall that stands for more than 800 years, or one that lasts 50 years?
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May 31 2018
In short, mortar is a mixture of some or all of the following materials: Portland cement, sand, lime clay, and more modern additives.
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Apr 30 2018
Brute strength will not win in a war with physics. Smart design predicts the resonance of a building and sidesteps the waves
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Apr 16 2018
Guts, grout, and happy accidents make concrete countertops that look like stone—at least to non-geologists
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Mar 27 2018
A retrofit solution that works great for a low-skill workforce—like volunteers
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